My Bloomers

No funny stories today.

I pulled in to my driveway this afternoon and saw my daffodils (well, NewWifey(tm)’s daffodils…I could give a shit about them) were dilling (that’s what daffs do). It’s actually kind of amazing, as the last of the winters’ snow only melted a few hours ago.

I like this composition, but I didn’t nail the focus. That foremost flower should be super sharp. I hope they don’t come and take my SECOND PLACE RIBBON back (did I mention I took SECOND PLACE in my very first photography competition? Well I did.):

Too shallow depth of field, but I like it anyway:

What a difference a couple of hours makes. The sun went down right behind the thing, giving it a surreal glow:

I think I posted this last year, but pretend I took it today, ok? I mean, we’re all friends here, right? Right:

Ugh. Looking at that now I cringe. Talk about the newbie mistake of over sharpening! I don’t have an editing program, but the little viewer that pops up when I upload a photo lets me choose from a few suggested “improvements”. I think the power went to my head and I clicked “YES! YES! YES!” to everything for the first few months until I actually looked at the results and recoiled in horror. Now I pretty much just post ’em as the camera sees ’em.

Finally, these are not daffodils. They’re my neighbor’s dogs. Hounds, to be exact. Who do not. shut. up. for. anything. When I come out to glare at them they glare back…then start baying at the top of their lungs again:

They also use each other as footstools. And sometimes (often) sex toys. It’s shameful.

The flower shots are beautiful. Worthy of Cee’s FOTD challenge. Is that fawning enough?

My photos are over-sharpened to buggery. Because I’m blind and even photos that are in focus look blurry to me. And hounds are such buggers, aren’t they? I have two of them and even I can’t stand the barking. (Note. Buggery and bugger is a widely used Aussie colloquilism that means a little shit. It is often used to denote affection).

Huh. I use “bugger” and “buggery” as terms of affection also, yet using the English meaning of various alternative sex acts/inputs. Vive la cultural difference! (Seriously? You have two hounds also? No wonder you’re blind – you never sleep!)

LOL!! Ok, that’s funny on several levels: “King of the Barkers” is a hilarious title, the Finns have a “King of the Barkers” competition, you have a canine link to a winner, and winning the title causes health problems.

Once upon a time (aka more than 30 yrs ago) my family briefly moved out to the suburbs from the city core. My dad went crazy in the backyard and brought in loads of dirt, to make raised flower beds, lined them with BIG rocks and planted sweet alyssum as ground cover, until the true beauties of his garden could make an appearance … tulips … SO many tulips. There were also gardenias and hydrangeas, pretty but sort of stand-off-ish for flowers and petunias, which I’ve never been fond of, so I’m going to ignore them, in my father’s garden.

In those days I had a cheap little self-focussing camera and tried to take many pictures for my dad so he could share them with friends. Here are a couple that I’ve shared on my blog, since he’s been gone, from that stash. He was so happy and his garden and we were happy to see it.

Those were incredibly moving entries. Your father sounds like a man and a half, and your love for him shines through in all your words. What a green thumb he had, too! Look at those flower beds! Shame he never got to make his own wine, but…damn. What a guy. Thank you for posting those links. That made my morning 🙂

Thank you. He never made his own wine but he DID make lots of fruit brandy/moonshine with his little ‘still’ and the over ripe strawberries and scrawny apricots from the tree on their property. It was about 60 proof. 🙂

Hounds. Dratted hounds. With their “hooooooo!” And “Hooouooouoooo!” Oh and their harooooooooo!” Well, at least they’re (usually) cute.

There’s such a thing as over sharpening a photo? Say it ain’t so. That’s horrible! Well, I guess I’ll be doomed to be an egregious and unrepentant over-sharpener till the end of my days. Those are some lovely photos. Even the tulip. My favorite has to be the surreal one though.

HAHA!! You nailed it, kid. HOOOOOUUUUUU!!! And you’re right, that’s part of the problem – they’re so darned adorable otherwise. They are always, always thrilled to see me when I pop my head out of my back door. Despite the din I can never resist running over to their fence where they bounce up and down like they’re on pogo sticks so I can pat their heads. Damn them for being noise machines with no ‘Off’ button, though!

Eh, go ahead and over sharpen if if makes you happy. Just don’t expect any SECOND PLACE RIBBONS in a photo competition if you enter it (did I mention I won one?). And thank you for the lovely compliments 🙂

I haven’t gone out on any photo binges since your tip came my direction. However, Easter weekend I’ll be calling on my backup battery and extra memory cards. My oldest daughter finally decided to get married.

The important part (don’t tell her I said it was the important part) is WHERE she’s getting married. There will be photos. Trust me on this.

The look on the hound’s face! Priceless! I enrolled in a photography course years ago and dropped out after the first session. I had no idea what they were talking about … depth, apertures, filters, etc etc. Half the room was trying to impress the other, I suspect. For me, aim and shoot is my cuppa tea!

I came back to re-experience past glories of reading this blog… and I had to say something. You know the over sharpened tulip that is nonetheless pretty? Look carefully at the trees. You will see… crotches. Very reminiscent of upended, nude, humans. I just love that. And now it’s in your head… muahahahahaha…. it’s like teaching a person to recognize bad kerning. It never goes away. (You’re welcome.)